2017-18 Leaf Masked Men Hockey Checklist Showcases the Evolution of the Goalie

2017-18 Leaf Masked Men Hockey is all about goalies and the history of netminders. It’s a unique spot in the hobby where many chase goalies simply because of the position. Football quarterbacks might be the closest thing as far as collecting base goes, but that’s more about star power than anything else. With that in mind, Masked Men aims to fill that niche. This time around it’s a mix of autographs, memorabilia and metal cards showcasing some of the most dramatic and iconic masks through the years.

Each 2017-18 Leaf Masked Men Hockey box comes with six cards: three hits and a trio of metal cards.

Autographs and Memorabilia Cards

Covering half the cards in the product, hits are a big part of 2017-18 Leaf Masked Men. While the subject matter may be somewhat narrow, insert themes hone in on specific aspects of goaltending and its history.

Goalie Graphs is an autograph-only insert. The checklist starts with history makers like Vladislav Tretiak and Manon Rheaume. It crosses over into pop culture as well with signatures from Yvon Barrette, who played Denis Lemieux in Slap Shot.

Signature Goalies add a piece of memorabilia to go with the autograph. Pieces aren’t limited to just jerseys, either. Patches, skates, pads and gloves are also used on some of the cards. Martin Brodeur and Gerry Cheevers are a couple of the featured players.

A couple of memorabilia sets look back on hockey’s pioneers. Vintage Goalies have one swatch while Pillars of Hockey have pieces from four historic players. Georges Vezina, Paddy Moran and Percy LeSueur are some of the names found here.

Other memorabilia themes include the 300 Win Club, the Hall of Fame (Enshrined), and Stanley Cup showdowns (dual-player Cup Confrontations). Decade of Dominance cards have swatches from six different players who made an impact in a specific era.

Goalie Gear is another insert with six memorabilia pieces, this time from one player. Dominik Hasek and Grant Fuhr are some of the modern netminders here.

Rounding out the memorabilia portion of 2017-18 Leaf Masked Men are Jumbo Patch and Jumbo Pad cards. As the names suggest, these have over-sized swatches. The pieces take up nearly all of the card front’s real estate.

2017-18 Leaf Masked Men Hockey Metal Cards

Masked Men Metal and Masked Women Metal cards aren’t hits. Rather, they’re something a little more straightforward acting as a spotlight for the featured players and their careers.

Like other chromium releases, including Leaf Metal, these come with a rainbow to chase. Parallels come in several colors of varying rarity. Wave patterns are also part of the mix.

A collector for much of his life, Ryan focuses primarily on building sets, Montreal Expos and interesting cards. He's also got one of the most comprehensive collections of John Jaha cards in existence (not that there are a lot of them). Got a question, story idea or want to get in touch? You can reach him by email and through Twitter @tradercracks.